Updates on a few general items... Cruising right along... Figured out a workaround for "year ago photos"...

The coral reef in the Isle of Pines was exquisite.

Of course, not surprisingly, being unable to post the "year ago photo" was nagging at me. I tried numerous workarounds only to discover one I hadn't considered earlier finally working this morning.

Tom on the beach in Isle of Pines, New Caledonia.

Me, at the beach in the Isle of Pines.

Later today, we'll go back and add them to the posts we'd missed over the past several days since boarding the ship. Today is Day 5 on this 24-night cruise and its flying by more quickly than we anticipated.

View toward our tender boats waiting at the pier to return us to the ship.

Having such an exceptional time seems to contribute to time passing in a blur, although I've yet to have a taste of wine which has been disappointing to resist in the Diamond Club's Star Lounge on deck 5 when drinks flow "free" and freely from 5 pm to 8:30 pm every evening. Tom, a non-drinker when not cruising is taking up the slack.

Resisting the delicious latte is also challenging but I'm staying firm on avoiding anything that could be construed as acidic for my still delicate digestive tract. I faltered yesterday when I ate sauteed green peppers as a side to my scrambled eggs paying the price for the remainder of the day and night. No more peppers for me, especially the less ripened green variety. I learn as I go.

White sand beaches.

Again, at the moment we're comfortably situated in the other Diamond Lounge on deck 14 which is packed with other experienced cruisers such as us who've cruised often enough to be granted this priority status.

Many Australians were wearing these handmade head wreaths in commemoration of Anzac Day.

The complimentary foods changed throughout the day with delightful looking sandwiches, snacks and desserts accompany a wide array of beverages, coffees, teas, lemonade and juices, none of which are suitable for me. Instead, I sip on the boring plain water. Oh well. I stick to the plan regardless of temptations.

Writing in the sand.

The lively chatter helps distract me from potentially dangerous consumables, especially when now I'm sitting here with exquisite views of Mystery Island in Vanuatu (soon we'll get off the ship to explore), friendly people all around us and not a care in the world.

The tropical island musicians and dancers greeted us in Noumea, New Caledonia.

A few items we'd like to share:1. The return of the "year ago photo" after finding a suitable workaround. Over the next few days, I'll be updating the previous posts with this feature.2. So far, we've had an excellent response to our invitation to the "Readers Meet & Greet" we'll be holding in Minneapolis on June 9th close to Highways 394 and 494. If you'd like to attend please RSVP by email, comments or Facebook.

Noumea, New Caledonia performers entertained us at the port.

3. We're considering a similar event in Henderson, Nevada in July (well after the 4th). If you are interested, please email us and we'll notify you as to a date, time and location, hoping you'll be able to attend.4. Thanks to all our of new readers who stopped by to read yesterday's tribute to our friend Glenn who passed away a few days ago. And of course, our love and continuing prayers for Staci, Glenn's wife who supported and greatly appreciated the posting of the story.

Another Noumea performer.

5. Cruising activities tend to be repetitive. We're continuing to visit as many ports of call as possible to keep our readers engaged as we make our way across the sea. Please hang in there with us as we continue with the remaining 19 nights aboard this ship.

6. If you've posted a comment at the end of any day's post and haven't seen a reply from us, please bear with us. The slow Wi-Fi has prevented us from replying to comments. I'm hoping to discover a workaround for that feature as well.

The pier where we waited to reboard the tenders to return to the ship.

As soon as we finish up here today, we'll be heading to Mystery Island, Vanuatu and sharing photos in days to come. Upon return, we'll be stopping at the Future Cruises desk to see what the future may hold for us. May your day be filled with ease and comfort.

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Photo from one year ago today, April 27, 2016:

Last year at this time, we were on Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. This is the Flowrider on that ship. Later we'll post a photo of the same event on this ship. For more details, please click here.